GAUTENG’S FIT AND FEARLESS FINISH BIRCHWOOD MARATHON WITH FLAIR

Athletes, runners, walkers, business teams and families from all over Gauteng descended on our beautiful gardens for our Birchwood Cross the Line Half Marathon on Sunday, 26 March.

Since its inception in 2011, our race has grown year on year – this year accommodating 4 000 participants in the 5km, 10km and 21.1km races – making 2017 the biggest race we have had to date! We were delighted with the turnout and are inspired by all the participants pushing themselves to beat their personal best and cross the finish line.

Even some well-known figures took some time out of their weekend to participate. Among the runners were the Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Buthi Manamela, and 2012 Comrades Marathon winner, Ludwick Mamabolo.

The winners of the half marathon races were predominantly from Gauteng; representing a variety of local clubs and making the province proud! The 21.1km women’s race was won by Cobie Smith (Team Vitality AC club) and the men’s race by Lebogang Clifford Nkofu (Ramaphosa AC club). The women’s 10km race was won by Cheryl-lynn Ceronie (Kempton Road Runners) and, the men’s 10km by Donald Mashamaite (Befordview Country Club).

Participants received so much more than just a medal on race day with many prizes up for grabs. Participants received mini-massages from the Mangwanani Boutique Spa post-race massage zone and, courtesy of No Finance Cars, Nokuthula Msimang (44) from Wattville in Benoni, gets to drive a brand new Kia Picanto for a year – simply by taking part in the race!

Congratulations to all winners and well done to all those who crossed the finish line! We hope that you will join us next year achieve your personal best, attempt to complete a longer distance, or finish with your team.

Of course, this race would not be possible without our valuable sponsors. Thank you to the City of Ekurhuleni, No Finance Cars, Mangwanani Boutique Spa, Garbie, SAfm, DSTV, Sportsmans Warehouse, Futurelife, JointEze, Fidelity Security Group, Dink-O-Pop, Global Meat Packers (Pty) Ltd, and Inkezo.

For those who participated this year, we have put together a video for a memorable flashback to race day. For those who have yet to become a part of our great race, make sure you keep a lookout for when entries open for Gauteng’s most popular race to be sure you don’t miss out!

For more information and to find out more about the 2018 Birchwood Half Marathon, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.